French Magistrates Issue Arrest Warrant Against Bashar al-Assad for War Crimes

French investigating magistrates have issued a new arrest warrant against Bashar al-Assad, the former president of Syria, on charges of complicity in war crimes. This arrest mandate, issued on January 20, is part of an investigation related to the 2017 bombing raid in Syria that killed Franco-Syrian national Salah Abou Nabour. This marks the second arrest warrant issued by French judges for Assad, who was overthrown in December 2024 by forces led by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).

The warrant comes amid continued international scrutiny of Assad’s role in the Syrian Civil War. In November 2023, French judges had already issued an arrest warrant accusing Assad of complicity in crimes against humanity and war crimes, specifically in relation to the chemical attacks in Douma and Eastern Ghouta that killed over 1,000 people in 2013. These accusations have been vehemently denied by the Syrian government.

As international legal challenges mount for Assad, Syria itself is grappling with internal political and military turmoil. The recent developments also highlight growing divisions within Syria’s military structure. In a related development, Syria’s newly appointed defense minister, Murhaf Abu Qasra, rejected the idea of allowing the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to retain their independent military bloc within the Syrian armed forces. Abu Qasra insisted that the SDF must integrate fully into the Defense Ministry’s hierarchical structure, a move that has sparked tensions with the SDF, which governs a semi-autonomous region in northeastern Syria.

The SDF, which played a critical role in the defeat of ISIS with U.S. support, has long advocated for decentralized administration and the preservation of its independent military identity. The defense minister’s comments reflect the ongoing struggle to unify Syria's fragmented factions under a single command, with significant implications for the country’s future political and security landscape.

The Syrian government's political instability has only deepened following the fall of Damascus to opposition forces led by HTS in December 2024. This has further complicated efforts to rebuild Syria’s fragmented political and military institutions.